As Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces, President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to officiate the Armed Forces Day in Richards Bay, KZN, next week Tuesday.

This as military activity heightens in the city of uMhlathuze ahead of the commemorative event.

“This is an occasion where South Africans can witness and take pride in the human and technological capabilities of our armed forces,” says presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

“But it is also an occasion where we honour men and women who have lost their lives in the course of their patriotic duty in the country or on international missions.

“Furthermore, Armed Forces Day is an occasion that fuels the imagination of young South Africans in terms of choosing career paths and exercising their passion and abilities.”

A number of activities are taking place in and around Richards Bay, with the main parade set for February 21.

Heavy rainfall over the weekend did threaten to dampen the mood with South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members forced to evacuate their campsite and relocate to various community halls due to flooding.

Army engineers and civilian authorities are working to find a solution to deal with the flooded military campsite.

Government has declared a national state of disaster to ‘enable an intensive, coordinated response to the impact of floods’ that are affecting a number of provinces, including KZN.

Magwenya says forecasts indicate this weather pattern will remain during the early part of the year.

“With the continued strengthening of the La Niña event, the country can expect above-normal rainfall and below-normal temperatures over the summer rainfall areas.

“These conditions demand the provision of temporary shelters, food and blankets to homeless families and individuals and the large-scale, costly rehabilitation of infrastructure.

“National entities, including the SAPS and the SANDF, may be required to play a role in the response to the disaster,” explains Magwenya.

Meanwhile, Zululand Observer also reports that hundreds of job seekers queued in Richards Bay today to submit their CVs in the hopes of joining the SANDF.

Candidates interested in joining the army were called to submit applications during the Armed Forces Day career awareness campaign that runs from today until February 19.